The United States government does not exist in a vacuum. For the U.S. to flourish, it is critical for the government to form strong international partnerships. The Visa Waiver program is one way the government is attempting to do just that. Earlier this year, Congress opened the door for a solution to the visa waiver problem between the U.S. and several of its allies. Then, in March, the Hungarian, ... Slovakian, and Lithuanian governments signed MOUs (memoranda of understand) committing the U.S. government to help them qualify for the waiver program. In exchange, the ... and these countries...

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• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... that are being committed with guns will be reduced and thus save lives. However, while gun control laws may decrease criminals" access to guns, the same laws restricts gun owning citizens who abide by the law; these citizens make up a great majority of the opposing side of this argument. These people argue that the law was made with the individual citizens ... the strictest gun control laws (F.B.I. Uniform Crime Reports, 1994). In Washington D.C., it is almost impossible for a civilian to own firearms, yet it is universally seen as the murder capital of the United States. Vermont, a stat...

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• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... the constitution and one of the fore fathers of the United States of America. Equal right, for all man, was not seen until the 13th amendment. But now it applies to all men, women, and children no matter what color their skin, what race, and what religion. With the bill of rights, everyone in the U.S.A. is protected. The 9th amendment deals ... and Sedition Acts, the Smith Act, and the McCarran Act. The second amendment states that people have the right to have guns to protect "the security of a free state." Some people claim that "the people" refers to individual citizens therefore say...

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... of actor Arnold Schwarzenegger as the Governor of California, much attention and debate has been brought to the forefront of people's minds. Should a person bron in another country be able to move to America and eventually become the "most powerful person in the world"? I strongly believe the answer to this question is no. In the article written by Dan Thomasson, he argues that many ... of the greatest minds in politics have been foreign-born. He believes that our nation is suffering as a whole by not giving these people the chance to run for the presidency. He argues that the constitut...

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... money, so wouldn't it be obvious that they would control the elite group that is running our whole country? There is no way for us to be heard. Obviously, there are many flaws in the constitution that the Federalists have proposed, and we can not risk mistakes in the serious ... business of forming our government. While the constitution gives power to the Central government, it has no guarantee that our rights will not be violated! What is the Central government's limits? The power that is ... a fair trial. The fact that the Constitutional Conventions have been meeting privately causes ...

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... gun and not by the gun alone. The United States ranked number twenty-four in the world in terms of its murder rate. From 1973 to 2009 gun related crimes decreased sixty-five percent, although the United States is a far more violent country than any other nation, gun related crimes are ... violence, the anger towards gun owners and the hatred for guns are understandable, but it is not fair to the people like myself who use a gun for a sport or for protection to have to defend something that should never be taken away. "Guns don't hurt people, people hurt people," we ... need guns in tod...

• Word Count: 719
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... 700 billion. With this country already in a great deal of debt, the fact that it is taking on more, is of great concern. However, what people need to see is that in the short term the federal government is taking on a large debt, but in the long run they could actually be gaining a large sum. ... stable economy at a profit. It really isn't a bad idea on the U.S.'s part when you think about it. They are helping in the present by contributing to the stabilization of the banking industry, and will earn their money back plus more in the long run. So those that are worrying about the added deb...

• Word Count: 519
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• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... of the Supreme Court. During this era, there was heated political debate on the issue of slavery. The Dred Scott v. Sanford decision in 1857, this was the first decision to take powers away from the national government. During this era, the Civil War occurred. Dual federalism lasted until the 1930s. After dual federalism came the era of cooperative federalism. Much ... government. It was Ronald Reagan that really advanced New Federalism. During Reagan's administration federal aid to the state and local governments decline. He changed categorical grants to block grants allowing the state...

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... phenomenon of hate speech is at a much larger scale then the reader would realize, but it is not a simple task to eliminate hate speech from the University campus. If the process is not done correctly in might violate the Free Speech act of ... hate speech to the extent that private institutions do. Because of that the author proposes steps that such institution have to take if they want to deal appropriately with the problem of hate speech on campus. The author also explains how the First Amendment relates to the issue ... of hate speech. I believe that the author has the right creden...

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... many rights - ones that all humans should be able to experience. To make sure that our rights could not be taken away, we wrote them in the Constitution and they are called the Bill of Rights. One right that all Americans have is the freedom to practice any religion they choose. This right is important because ... you are disobeying the law in anyway. If we are charged with a crime, American citizens are allowed a fair trial with a jury of our peers to judge whether or not we are guilty. Whereas, in other countries if you are accused of a crime, you don't get a fair trial with a ... proc...

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... use of force against Sadaam, a criminal with mental problems. Gun control will only affect those that obey the law, not criminals. According to data published by the NRA, states with waiting periods have seen increases in homicides. Criminals that cannot pass the required waiting periods or an ... for their life, take out a restraining order, following what the law desires them to do but when that fear comes knocking on their door it is obviously too late to call 911 to send out the troops to enact on this right of protection because the fear has become reality and death is ... all typ...

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... CNN Interactive, believe that they are doing what a good American should, they are only adding to the ultimate destruction of America's society. The first Amendment of the US Constitution states "Congress shall make no law prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the ... American citizens to freedom is more important than a piece of fabric. Principal Payne went on to say, "I think any American would find it offensive, or in a sense, obscene". The operative word in this sentence is "thinks". Mr. Payne can't speak for everyone, because he doesn't k...

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... years preceding the revolution in the American Colonies. Initially there were very few rights or liberties for the common people. The Lords could do as they pleased without any consequences. As the English progressed they became more impatient with this situation. This culminated with the Charter of ... system in England was established over many years. Initially the local government enforced the laws and enacted punishment. However, as people found this to be unfair in a number of circumstances a court system was set up. The problem was that there were many court systems for different...

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• Grade Level: High School

... Philadelphia. (Schenck vs. United States) He was accused of violating the Espionage Act of 1917, and attempting to cause rebellion in the armed forces. (Landmark Decisions) This was the first time the government had ever put a limit on how free, free speech actually was. (Courtroom Drama) So this leads you to believe, how free exactly, is free speech, and should the government be able ... to judge what limitations are put on free speech? Charles T. Schenck was the secretary of the Socialist party in Philadelphia ... . (Schenck vs. United States.) During this time, the party decided to p...

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... is this process that has preserved our Constitution's "purity" and our government's time tested way of enacting and maintaining laws. Obviously believing that frequent ratification of new amendments is a threat to our system, she gives us five reasons why our Constitution works as it exists today. The first reason Sullivan gives for the Constitution's continuing success is its stability. By this ... in tact. Secondly, she mentions the rule of law. Basically, the Constitution was set forth to be a base on which to build a government. It was not meant to be specific. That task was to be le...

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• Grade Level: High School

... between settlers and Native Americans. This was especially a problem in Georgia, Pennsylvania and Virginia. The lack of military forces did not only affect the new nation domestically, but also led to U.S. merchant ships being taken over while out in the Mediterranean. Another problem that arose was the rebellious attitude from the Continental Army. Officers in the army began demanding back pay ... small and inadequate, the threat of losing what they already had was detrimental to future of the U.S. The government initially began trying to raise money by setting mandates for each state ...

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... , ones who wanted a strong central government, and those who only wanted the central government only a margin stronger. The Constitutional Convention finally decided to write a document that could set laws for the entire land, that everyone would follow. Four months later the delegates emerged with the Constitution of ... Constitution but would even be dangerous. They would contain various exceptions of colorable pretext to claim more than they were granted. For why declare that things shall be done for which there is no power to do"(The Constitution that Delicate Balance page 13). Nevert...

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... part in a play dealing with the views of four Jews in a concentration camp. After the auditions, my best friend, Lori, and I were called to the teacher's desk. We both had done an especially good job in our tryouts, but she was having a hard time deciding which of us would ... the play. We worked out a compromise, and we were both happy with the parts we received. I was able to go to all the practices and tell the actors and actresses what to do to improve their performances. Being a student director was really fun, and it did not require memorizing lines. I was glad ... was called "The...

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... all of the people that lived in the country. Although they created the Constitution with these noble reasons, the Constitution did not do what it was meant to do. This can be clearly seen during the time of the Civil War. The separation that the Constitution caused can be seen through the issue of slavery. The issue of slavery ... creators of the Constitution were wise in not directly saying anything about the slavery issue. Ralph Waldo Emerson's address on the Fugitive Slave Law shows how there were many people that did not like the things that the Constitution allowed like the Fugiti...

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... there is protection available everywhere you turn. This alone tells one that it is not necessary to own a gun for survival. Not only do you have the security of your own home with locked doors, you have a public task force ready to help. Another reason Burger's piece is so effective is his use of solid statistics. ... hand. In turn they can form a more stable opinion based on the knowledge they have received. Burger reveals that, "Many of our large centers have up to ten times the murder rate of all of Western Europe", and that "In 1988, there were 9000 handgun murders in America". Facts...

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... lawful hunting and recreational use." It is our right through the United States Constitution and the West Virginia State Constitution to keep and bear arms. Some people actually believe if we would make all guns illegal that criminal activities would almost be eliminated, but if you really think about it criminals are criminals ... could somehow get all the guns from everybody including the criminals, the people who would break the gun law, such as criminals, could make there own guns. Homemade guns are referred to as pipe or "zip" guns. These guns can have been constructed by criminals...

• Word Count: 1003
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... Constitution Constitution - a framework for settling political disputes. It "involves a set of fundamental rules and customary procedures designed to resolve political differences and make political decisions legitimate." There are two types - written and unwritten. In May 1787, delegates from 12 of the 13 colonies met in Philadelphia for the purpose of revising ... the Constitution provides for its own amendments thus making the Constitution an enduring document. Signing On 17 Sept 1787, the delegates signed the Constitution. Ratification Nine (9) state conventions were needed to ratif...

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... ,040 persons were victims of a crime committed with a firearm" (Gun Violence). Surprisingly, a lot of gun violence in America is related to self-defense. According to Crime Statistics, "Between 1997 and 2007 it was found that guns were used in defense during a crime incident 90,627 times annually. For ... of problems instead of talking things out. Guns are quick and easy to use. Angry people are impulsive and handguns make angry actions very deadly. "A retired factory worker in Los Angeles who bought a gun to protect against theft used it in 2005 to kill a neighbor in a heated argument" ...

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... , and riders. There are two ways that a bill may be presented to Congress. A bill may be public or private depending on its contents. A public bill involves matters of national interest. For example, a bill may be proposed on how Humana Health care has changed its guidelines to the elderly. A private bill only applies to certain persons or places rather than the nation as a whole. A private ... bill may apply to the Haitian refugees that arrived to Key Biscayne. Either way they both may be presented to the House of Representatives or the Senate. Introducing a bill, as ... President in w...

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... defense." This can be interpreted in a number of different ways. If the accused cannot afford counsel, is the government required to provide it? Or, is the accused responsible himself for gaining counsel? The Fourteenth amendment states that "No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States." In 1963 in Florida ... these two Amendments conflicted with each other. Do the states have the right to develop their own legislation regarding the rights of the accused to have counsel appointed to them, or does the Fourteenth...

• Word Count: 1078
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• Grade Level: High School